User blog:Silent Andromeda/Hellfire: Chapter 24
Previous: Chapter 23 Scavengers "Life is full of surprises, isn't it?" Radian said as he removed his helmet, revealing a dense shadow underneath. "Is it all worth it?" Sardec opened his eyes to see the VOID Nirvana firing at a pack of Maulers. He got up to his feet and grabbed the AST-KK assault rifle. Without hesitation, he joined his robotic companion in the battle. The Maulers were quick on their feet, dodging most of his shots. He grabbed Collapsar and tossed it forward, sucking them all toward itself. With a purple flash, the wild beasts were reduced to splattered entrails. Sardec took a moment to catch his breath. He looked at the grey mountains surrounding him under a dark sky. As his breath began to slow down, a sudden flow of bile rushed up his throat. He expelled the waste inside his helmet. After a moment, the bile began to drain from his Krypton armor, onto the ground outside. "User Sardec, you fainted." Said Twilight. "Thank you for informing me. I hadn't noticed. And thanks for covering me, Nirvana." "Supporting fire is my primary directive." It replied. The Storm Sardec surveyed the terrain once more. As he looked for a high place to go, thunder echoed throughout the sky. He looked up and saw dark clouds approaching. He then remembered acidic rainfall from his last visit. He looked at Catalyst, seeing occasional sparks fly from its chassis. "Where do you want to go?" It asked. "A cave! I need to find a cave and fast!" Sardec searched for an extraordinarily dark crevice to hide in, when a flash of lightning lit up the terrain, revealing a nearby cave entrance. The acid began to fall from the clouds. Sardec ran forward to the cave entrance as the rain began to corrode his armor's outer layer. Safe from the acid rain, Sardec activated his Immortal backpack to begin repairs. The backpack's four fins unfolded and rotated around it. "User Sardec!" Collapsar shouted. "Tens of small lifeforms are approaching quickly!" "What!?" Sardec readied his rifle as he waited for the creatures to reveal themselves from the darkness. "Explosion use is highly recommended." "No way! That would cause a cave-in. Weren't you built to understand consequences?" "No." Sardec snarled and held his weapon closely. Suddenly, many Crawmites began swarming out of the darkness. Sardec frantically fired at the closest ones as Nirvana neutralized others. "Go! Twilight!" Sardec shouted. Twilight dashed forward, bringing Sardec along in a short warp. The motion cut through several Crawmites, leaving them in pieces. Despite the amount they killed, many more swarmed around Sardec and began crawling over his body, biting and stinging. Sardec screamed in pain and cried out to Catalyst. "A shield would be helpful right now!" "Affirmative!" Catalyst hovered above Sardec and began expanding a purple force field, pushing the attacking Crawmites off his body. He got up to his feet and observed the remaining Crawmites crawling over the force field. At that moment, Sardec realized Catalyst's second ability. The force field collapsed in an explosion, killing the remaining Crawmites, but loosening the cave's ceiling. He ran toward the cave entrance as rocks fell down. Seeing the acid rain ceasing, he left the mouth as it was caved in shut. "I think I understand consequences now." Said Collapsar. Sardec snarled in reply. As the clouds cleared. Sarde began to feel a slight sense of comfort. "Finally, some peace and quiet." Suddenly, a blue light flashed amongst the sky. Sardec;s sense of comfort was suddenly replaced with dread and agony. A second blue light flashed as thunder roared amongst the land exponentially louder. A winged creature came into view, patrolling from the sky. Sardec hid behind a rock and remembered the last time he'd seen the creature. His blood began to boil and raised his rifle. Siaga Sardec took aim and fired at the dragon from far away, striking one of her hind legs. The dragon screeched in response and turned around directly at Sardec. She let out a grand roar and charged forward in flight. Sardec smiled under his helmet now that he knew he had her attention. As she came close to land, Sardec deployed Collapsar and dashed out of the way. With a short distance away, Siaga changed direction immediately, towards Sardec's predicted path, striking him with her forehead. A shockwave moved the rocks nearby. "What!?" Sardec said in shock. Siaga got up and took off in flight. Sardec got back to his feet and switched to the HBS-VI Phantom. He fired a barrage of light arrows ahead of Siaga's flight. With a thrust of her body, the dragon spun a barrel roll, redirecting the arrows away from her, in random directions. "No way! Nirvana! Can you hit the target from this distance?" "Long range accuracy is not guaranteed, but I will try." Nirvana fired its laser beam toward Siaga, missing significantly. "I have an idea." Sardec said as he grabbed the VOID into a tight grasp. He held the VOID steady, making slight alterations in direction, eventually striking Siaga on a wing. She cried in pain and her body began to glow a blue light. Sardec ran behind a large rock. Siaga's mouth opened, firing a concentrated bolt of lightning at the rock, blowing off its outermost layer. Sardec popped out of cover with the AST-KK in hand and fired, striking the dragon's face. She growled in anger and charged toward her prey at full speed. Sardec deployed Catalyst's barrier as the drew near. Siaga struck the force field at full force, destroying it in a single strike. The resulting explosion scraping her face. The dragon stayed down as Sardec regained his bearings. He held the assault rifle close as he took a few steps closer to her still body. The dragon then swept her fierce claws around, nearly striking him across the chest. She got back up and lunged at Sardec. Sardec fired a burst into her mouth, disrupting her attack. She flapped her wings violently to cause a strong gust. Sardec struggled to hold his ground. Nirvana fired its laser at her wings, causing her to retract them. Siaga opened her mouth as her body began to glow of blue. Without time to react, Sardec was struck by a short range electrical strike, scorching his armor. The Immortal backpack automatically activated and began repairs. "So that's how it is?" Sardec asked as he changed his weapon to the bow. "I can fight close range too." The light bow morphed into a light sword. Siaga raised her claws and struck at Sardec. Sardec raised his sword and parried the attack. With an opening, Sardec swung forward and cut off some scales. Siaga roared in anger and stood on her hind legs, showing a green glow emitting from her belly. Sardec was taken by surprise. "Could it be?" Siaga smashed her front legs into the ground, causing a shockwave to shake Sardec off his feet. The dragon charged her head forward at Sardec. He quickly moved his shoulders, narrowly evading her powerful bite. Sardec struck her neck with his sword. With Siaga distracted by the force of the hit, Sardec retreated behind some rocks. Siaga looked forward, seeing her opponent gone. She became quiet and closely observed the rocks, waiting for a disturbance. She saw a faint glow behind one of the rocks and immediately lunged at it, revealing a charging Collapsar behind. Its blast stunned the dragon. Sardec made his way onto Siaga's back, preparing his sword. The dragon recovered her bearings and began to flap her wings. Sardec held on tight as the VOIDs retreated into his backpack. Siaga took off into the sky, attempting to shake Sardec off. He dangled from the base of one of her wings and climbed toward the back of her neck. Her attempts intensified as he got closer. The dragon fired lightning around desperately as Sardec drew his sword. Holding his arm steady, Sardec thrusted downward with all his might, into the back of Siaga's neck, delivering a fatal blow. She gave out a final cry before plummeting down below. Sardec held on tight as they crashed onto the peak of a mountain. Full Reunion Sardec fell to the ground, groaning in pain. The Immortal backpack made its repairs, but Sardec still felt great pain. Looking at Siaga's corpse, he saw her belly still glowing green. Sardec reached for his sword and began to cut the belly open. After a few minutes of hacking and slashing, Sardec made a large hole in the corpse's belly. A green cube floated out from the belly. "Sardec?" "HYGEIO!" Sardec caught himself in an awkward moment, noticing he was hugging a cube. "What is this? Are you happy?" Hygeio asked. "Oh, excuse me..." Sardec said as he released the VOID. "I thought you were gone for good! Were you really inside Siaga's stomach the entire time?" "Yes. It was quite dark in there." "Greeting-ting-ting-tings, Hygeio." Catalyst said. "Hello Catalyst. Are you in need of repairs?" "Unfortun-tunately. I was damaged in battle-le-le." "Hygeio, are you able to repair other VOIDs?" Sardec asked. "I have never done that, but I will try," Hygeio's pyramid fins spun around and a green bubble popped around it. The sparks flying from Catalyst suddenly ceased. "Are you alright, Catalyst?" Hygeio asked. "Testing... Testing complete. All systems normal." Catalyst replied. "This is incredible!" Sardec shouted. "All five of you are back with me! I feel like I might be able to do this afer all!" "Sardec! Your condition needs work too!" "Oh, right. I was so excited, I forgot how much I'm in pain. Would you mind?" "Of course not." In an instant, Sardec's pain ceased. He took a deep breath. A calm overtook his mind as he looked over the land. He thought aloud one more time. "Yes. Maybe I can do this." Category:Blog posts